This Tuesday, join the discussion on this hot-button issue:Which Direction for the Green Party?

The 2017 BC election results are still up in the air. As citizens await the final vote count, a desperate round of negotiations is going on. As BC Green leader Andrew Weaver says, other parties are “crawling over themselves” to offer deals to the Greens. The Liberal Party is especially intent on keeping power and has a lot of cards to play. Today the Green Party has a unique opportunity to advance the popular demand for change that was clearly expressed in the election. Yet it faces considerable danger in the rough-and-tumble political game the Liberals play with such calculation. At this critical moment, the Social Environmental Alliance welcomes Oak Bay-Gordon Head residents, and others from throughout the Lower Island, to join a public discussion about the way forward for the Green Party.

Featuring: Joan Russow, former leader of the Green Party of CanadaSonia Theroux, Director of Mobilizing, Green Party of Canada
and Oak Bay resident Andrew MacLeod, Legislative Bureau Chief, TheTyee.ca

Bring your ideas and join the discussion about how the Green Party can preserve its principles in a volatile time and help advance the popular demand for environmental justice and social and economic equality.

Coming up in the Walbran!Science in the Valley/Bio Blitz

Join the Friends of Carmanah Walbran for the 2nd Annual Science in the Valley/Bio/Blitz (flora and fauna count). Come learn more about the Temperate Rainforest and help record the diverse and threatned wildlife that calls this place home. Bring notebook/pen and binoculers!

Engaging with Indigenous Legal Traditions Through Stories and Art

The revitalization and recognition of Indigenous laws are essential to reconciliation in Canada. Indigenous art and stories play an important role in guiding this work as they not only depict cultural beliefs but also represent aspects of legal traditions.

Join Dr. Rebecca Johnson and Jessica Asch (LL.B) from the University of Victoria Faculty of Law as they share current research about Indigenous art and its relationship to law. During this program, the audience will engage critically with the art and stories in the current exhibition Origin Stories at Legacy Art Gallery Downtown.

*free and open to the publicbbut seating is limited www.facebook.com/events/293709287746078/
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------Origin Stories
First Nations Prints and Carvings

As Canada celebrates 150 years since Confederation, the Legacy Art Galleries respectfully acknowledges a much longer history by presenting First Nations narratives that move beyond limited settler versions of history. Through prints and carvings chosen by guest curator, Jackson McDermott (Dene/Cree) from the Fort Nelson First Nation, the exhibition explores centuries-old stories that continue to live in the people, communities, nations and lands of this place.

Check out Organize BC'sDigital Campaigning Workshop

Do you want to grow your supporters list? Do you want to to generate more donations and actions from your emails and social media posts? Do you want to improve your use of digital tools to move supporters to real world actions? Are you unsure which of the many social media and communications channels to use to engage your supporters?

Organize BC is partnering with Leadnow, a national leader in digital campaigning, to offer a Digital Campaigning training. This interactive workshop will show you how to design digital engagement strategies to engage your supporters using a full range of digital tools: petitions, social media, email blasts, surveys, texting and more. Then we’ll focus in on designing tactics, setting targets, and writing content for supporter emails and social media. You can expect to leave with a to-do list to make your digital work more effective and a deeper understanding of how to use digital tools to find new supporters, and engage the ones you have in effective online and real world actions.

Who is it for?
This training is for anyone working or volunteering on social change campaigns who wants to up their digital campaigning skill set.

Dates & Location
Health Sciences Association Office at 180 E Columbia St in New Westminster.
It is a 5 minute walk from the Sapperton Skytrain station.
The training is on Sunday, June 11th from 9:30am to 5:30pm.
We will provide coffee and tea. Please bring a lunch for yourself.
If anyone is able to bring snacks to share, we'd really appreciate it!

Cost
Because of a start-up grant for this program, we are able to offer a discounted rate of $165 for all participants for this training.
Scholarships are available for individuals and organizations who cannot afford the full tuition fee. Scholarships are offered on a first-come first-serve basis. You'll have a chance to apply for a scholarship as part of your training application.

Cancellation Policy
Participants that cancel via email to an Organize BC staff a minimum of 10 working days prior to the event are eligible for a full refund. Cancellations that occur later than that may not be eligible for a refund.

Accessibility
We’d like to have this event be scent-free, please help and refrain from wearing or using scented products. The room is wheelchair accessible, and can be accessed by stairs or an elevator. There are wheelchair accessible washrooms in the building.
The washrooms are typically partially segregated by gender, and we will be de-gendering the washrooms for this event, creating one multi-person all-gender washrooms, and one private washroom.
If anyone has specific accessibility needs or questions we can help accommodate, please don't hesitate to contact Peter Gibbs.

CONTACT
Peter Gibbs · This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

BAN THE BOMB!!!

Wear white, we will hold a banner and take a big group picture.
In solidarity with Women’s March to Ban the Bomb in New York the same day: https://www.womenbanthebomb.org/

Historic UN negotiations started at the UN last month for a convention to ban nuclear weapons but Canada is shamefully NOT participating.

Call on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to join these important international talks to abolish nuclear weapons and protect people and the planet: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Organized by the Vancouver Island Peace & Disarmament Network
Please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for more details or visit www.vipdn.org

Decolonization Potluck Picnic:
Next Steps in Settler Solidarity

This potluck, picnic and meetup is taking place at the Garry Oak Room on traditional Lekwungen territory, home to the Esquimalt and Songhees Nations. TUESDAY JUNE 20, 5:30 to 9:00 pmLocation: Garry Oak Room (Fairfield Gonzales Community Assoc)1335 Thurlow (near Moss and Fairfield)Building on the momentum of our facilitated workshop in March and in anticipation of a larger solidarity event in September, ISWG will be kicking off what we hope to be a monthly casual evening meetup sharing food and conversation focused on devising plans of action as settlers in support of Indigenous-centred community initiatives. We will discuss what are some of the concrete measures we can take, individually and collectively, to actualize decolonization in our daily lives and move beyond metaphor, concept and mere tokenism. We will also further consider group accountability – who we should be accountable to and who do we approach to clarify this. This will be an opportunity to brainstorm and share ideas you may have had for actions that can propel the work of decolonization even further. The number of participants will determine whether breakout groups will be necessary. Folks are free to build upon and explore further the topics raised at the March workshop. These included food sovereignty, bank divestment and protocol around real estate. If you are interested in facilitating a particular topic as it relates to actions we can take, please post a message on the event page. www.facebook.com/events/682338278629017We encourage anyone who is interested in this work to attend, regardless of the extent of your experience or knowledge of the issues. We simply ask that you take a moment to review our mission statement below. We also hope to incorporate a place-based learning component to the evening as well. We are asking participants to come to the meetup having done a bit of research into the Indigenous history of L’kwungen and to take a moment to share a piece of information that really resonated with them. Alternatively, you could share what your experience has been of being present on this landbase and what it has meant for you. A potluck will precede the conversation, so please bring along a tasty dish!By Donation. Proceeds will go to local Indigenous-led community initiatives. What is the ISWG?The Indigenous Solidarity Working Group (ISWG) aims to connect groups and individuals into a coalition of allies to support, facilitate and stand in solidarity with Indigenous initiatives. This includes actions ranging from fundraising to administrative support to front-line action. We are committed to a process of decolonization and peaceful coexistence between Indigenous and non-indigenous peoples, communities, and nations through creative co-resistance to colonialism and its manifestations of patriarchy,capitalism, racism, heterosexism, ableism, western privilege and corporate hegemony.This may take the form of talking circles, informal meet-ups, discussion panels, social gatherings, sharing food together, teach ins, resurgence action and creative decolonization projects.The ISWG started as a group of individuals perceiving a space needed for allies to critically engage with the violence of colonial oppression and work to end it. Some previous work involved actions such as supporting the WSANEC nations in reclaiming the name of PKOLS, and direct action to oppose the construction of a house on Grace Islet. Our immediate goal is to begin fostering relationships with Indigenous communities on the south island to listen and learn about what we can do to advance the process of decolonization and indigenous resurgence here. Check out the ISWG facebook pageClick here for further reading and resources

~~Turning the Tide ~~

Join Turning the Tide 2017!

This year’s 4th Annual Turning the Tide: Peoples’ Paddle for the Salish Sea promises to be another exciting and meaningful family-friendly journey, uniting people from across the Salish Sea in community and solidarity for people and the planet.

The Paddle will take place over five days and four nights, from August 9-13, 2017, beginning at Swartz Bay on Vancouver Island and proceeding to Salt Spring and Pender Islands for special cultural, recreational and educational programming. Camping and dinners have been arranged for paddlers on all islands, and are included in the participant fee of $95 per person over 15 years (subsidies available, please contact us, and consider donating an extra $20 with your fee to help fund a fellow paddler).

This year’s theme is “Solidarity Across the Salish Sea.” With the federal government’s recent approval of the Trans-Mountain pipeline expansion project, and the election of one of the most regressive presidents in American history, our movements need to strengthen and grow. Now more than ever, we need to stand up and build a culture of solidarity and resistance on both sides of the border.

You can learn more by reading the Turning the Tide 2017 Participant Package at www.TurningtheTide.ca
and then complete the Registration Form on the website.

Paddlers are responsible for arranging their own boats. If you have additional capacity in your boat or would like to request a spot in a boat, please let us know and we will endeavour to help match you up. Discounted canoe and kayak rentals from several agencies are also available.

We look forward to paddling with you this summer as we demonstrate our love for the Salish Sea — and build our on-the-water and inter-islands community of solidarity for people and the planet. Remember to register soon — space is limited!